Just Us: September 2017

Friday, September 29, 2017

Shopping For The Baby....Brenda Said Alex Needs Bows.....

Tony and I love each and every one of our grandchildren...all 5 boys and 2 girls and the new Charlotte baby boy who is on the way. But, we all know that baby girl clothes are much cuter than baby boy clothes. And boy, do I like to shop for baby clothes.

I remember when Ellie was born....I ran to the mall and bought every cute outfit I could find....and when I was checking out at the baby department register, a sales person who was on break came back into the department, looked at all of the things I had on the counter and asked the sales lady ringing me up if they were doing inventory? "No," responded my sales lady, "all of this is for this lady's new granddaughter." "Oh," was all the first lady said.

Well, we went shopping for Alex today...Brenda said she needed hair bows and we found some....and some really, really cute outfits as well.

Geez, we had a good time. Take a look at a few things we got for Alex today:

Tony showing off a new bow!

My favorite outfit....right out of the '70's...fringe and hippy!

Vintage with a bow....when Kate and Rob have a little girl, we need to find a dress like this!

You can see it in her eyes now...there is no one like Daddy!

And this one says, "Dad and I agree, Mom's the best!"

And of course, "My Mom is my Super Hero!"

All kinds of pretties!

A light coat to visit Papa and Momo in cooler weather

A summer fun dress....

Loot!

A beaded, smocked blue dress...

Butterflies and a Pink Rose

I just love this one!!!

Going to Lakeland soon....hopefully a fashion show will be a new blog subject!

Saturday, September 23, 2017

Waiting, Waiting and Waiting Some More......

Oh, waiting for a baby is a long wait....you wonder what's going on...what is Brenda feeling....why won't "Smalls" come out? Oh, it's a long wait.

So, we did what we could while waiting for "Smalls" to be born....for a long time now, we have wanted to get a canopy for the beach. We go to the beach and I manage to get really sunburned on the right side of my face and shoulders. I can't read my tablet because it's so bright...but, I still love the beach. Getting a canopy is multi-functional. I can not burn, it's a no bird poop zone and I can read my tablet. We bought one and a wagon to carry our stuff. I realize now that we are serious beach go-ers. We have food, wine, things to read, my camera and all kinds of stuff we carry. Having a wagon will reduce our "shoulder weight" and give us a nice area to enjoy the day.

We "christened" the wagon by putting Dixie in the bottom and riding her around the backyard. I think she liked it!! It was so, "Dixie-esq," she is the queen and we are the servants.

We burned some time waiting for "Smalls." I can't wait for David to call Tony and say, "Dad, I have a......." We are so excited. David and Brenda will have their first child....a long, awaited child.

It's a beautiful day for "Smalls" to be born....just when..., just when....

Today:

Tony takes Dixie for her first ride in the "wagon!"

Now, it's my turn...."

Dixie's Daddy, the canopy and wine....great day!

Check out the clouds...

...same cloud formation....10 minutes later...

...15 minutes later....

...30 minutes later....

Locus on the tarp...

...same locus....really big

Same clouds...45 minutes later...

A beautiful day.....

Thursday, September 21, 2017

Baby? Maybe!!

The Florida baby countdown is quickly running out--Brenda and "Smalls" are being induced, which means we can go shopping again once we know if "Smalls" turns out to be a boy or a girl....needless to say I can't wait.

We won't actually see the baby in person until October 9, but thank God for "face time."

All of our grandchildren have blonde hair (some really blonde, some darker) except for Ellie, so I am hoping not only that "Smalls" is a girl, but a girl with beautiful dark hair.

Only David and Tony Sr are still in the baby pool. David guessed a boy, born on September 21, weighing 7 pounds, 9 ounces. Tony Sr guessed a girl, born on September 22, weighing 8 pounds, 4 ounces.

Stay tuned for the big event! In the meantime, enjoy memories from the shower:

"Smalls' Cake"

Opening baby stuff

Pretty Mommy

Happy Daddy

"I don't know what the fuss is all about, I'm still the princess!"

Friday, September 15, 2017

Getting Back To Normal

Tony and I got back from the wedding in Rhode Island and did a lot of decompressing. I was off of work for another 5 days and I just hung around and enjoyed being off.

Dixie did forgive us for leaving her with her Godparents--in fact, she seemed to have the run of the place and probably wouldn't have minded if we left her there for another week!

That is not to say, however, that she didn't get some revenge. Dixie has this "puppy love" thing for Chance, a rescue dog who lives a few houses down from us. The other day, when Tony was driving for the Disabled Vets to Fayetteville, I rolled out of bed early (complete with major bed-head) to take her out to pee in the backyard. She got too close to the wet lands at the back of our property and I was concerned that she was investigating a snake, so I pulled on her collar to get her to move. Damn....she slipped the collar and knew it the minute it happened. I actually saw a grin on her face as she took off. And, off she went. There was a period of about 10 minutes when I had absolutely no idea where she was and was quickly starting not to care! I ran through yards, through shrubs, trees and mud. I was a mess.

Whenever she surfaced, I went after her, but she was too fast for me. She would let me get close and then run away. After what seemed to be forever, I heard the neighbor's dogs barking and I figured she was trying to visit Chance. She was. I rang the doorbell (and it was way, way to early to visit....) and our neighbor, Bill, came to the door pretty much in the same condition I was (minus the nightgown and bed head.) He kind of grinned at me because by this point, my nightgown was wet from the knees down, I think I only had one strap of it up on my shoulder and not only did I have bed-head, I had sweaty, bug infested, bed head. I told him that I thought Dixie was trying to get into his backyard and just as I said that, she came zipping around the side of the house, up the steps and headed toward the front door. I yelled to Bill to shut it and he did so I was able to catch her. Bill opened up the door after I caught her and was laughing at me as I was yelling at her....he said, very wisely...."Jan, go back to bed...."

I did, but not until Dixie got a spanking. I didn't see her for the rest of the day, but when Tony got back from Fayetteville, she wouldn't leave his side. It was like she was telling him what I did and asking for protection. What a brat!

September and October are big birthday months for us. Tony Jr., will be 35 on the 16th of September and Sam, Zach and Anthony all have October birthdays....and, don't forget "Smalls," who still hasn't made her (OK, I'm thinking pink...) entrance yet. Hurricane Jose is starting to increase in activity near Florida, so I hope she arrives soon.

I can't believe that I am talking about October....that means 2017 is almost over. What a year it has been. My retirement list is growing with things I want to do.

It is warm here, but the nights are cool and it is nice to be able to sit on the lanai and enjoy a glass of wine.

Tony and I are still working with our health issues. My arthritis is in high gear; stretching now to my right hip and back. I don't think I will look at people who come to the hospital with back pain in the same way now that I have it.

Here is what our days are looking like now:

In the safety of Daddy's arms!

Tony's view from the golf course--sunrise

A REAL rattlesnake on the golf course....yuck...

Love from Joyce, sister-in-law , the day after the wedding

Coleton has moved from "Day Care" to Kindergarten!!!

First day of school.....

A reptile guarding our front door....they're everywhere!

Wednesday, September 6, 2017

A Wedding In Bristol and The Cleveland Browns

The day of Katie's wedding finally arrived. September 2, in Bristol, Rhode Island. What a pretty day it was. Katie is all vintage, which could translate into old and funky, but she does it well. Her dress was lace and long and she and Rob designed their own wedding rings. They have been together for almost 10 years, so it was a wonderful day to join families.

The festivities started on Friday evening with the rehearsal dinner. Tony gave a beautiful speech and presented Kate with a bracelet from him and her late father, Dennis. He did the same thing for Jenna on her wedding day and, hopefully, made a sweet memory for both of them.

Bristol is a quiet, sea side town...small enough to walk around and big enough to have several good restaurants. We stayed at the Harbor Inn with other wedding guests, among them, Donna/Bob, Rose/Joe. We managed to find time to do some shopping, sample at a new winery and take tons of pictures. The weather was good...it only rained on Sunday, after all of the wedding stuff was over. The day of the wedding was cool and just right for an outdoor event.

Tony, Marie, Coleton and Anthony were able to come up and we had a great time with the kids. Marie was a trooper, even though she is pregnant again, she managed the trip well.

As Tony and I were walking around Bristol, I saw a lady crossing the street near us. She was wearing a sweatshirt with "Browns" on the front. Guessing she was from Cleveland, I said to her, "Go Browns!" She looked a little confused so I pointed to her sweatshirt and said, ".....you know, Cleveland Browns? The football team?" She kind of smirked at me and I looked at her shirt again...um, it wasn't "Browns," it was "Brown" as in Brown University. Guess they don't have a football team!

And so, we are back...just in time for Irma to gift us with bad weather. The hospital has already issued a lock down alert, but I don't go back until Sunday, September 10.

Enjoy the wedding photos, so long in the making, and such a happy event.